The day has come. There’s now a flagship wearable under the Galaxy banner, the Galaxy Watch Ultra. It’s hard to draw a line between innovation whilst retaining fundamental functions. There’s only so much new stuff we can put into a watch before it might not even end up being a watch.
Today on Quick Ones I’m sharing about the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung’s first true flagship piece of a wearable, made to compete in the high end range. Considering Samsung’s penchant for always keeping their wearable devices under RM 2000, a lot has to be said about the Galaxy Watch Ultra and its RM 3399 price tag.
The Quintessential Design Of A Good Smartwatch
The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes in only one size, a rather large 47 size, which immediately places itself on the preferred side for males. This singular piece comes with LTE for eSIM connectivity and supports WiFi, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC.
From a design perspective, it’s a totally brand new venture for the Korean giant. The Galaxy Watch Ultra boasts a larger, more robust build compared to its predecessors. The titanium frame and sapphire crystal display make it highly durable, ensuring it can withstand the rigors of outdoor activities. The watch’s design is both stylish and functional, with a rotating bezel that provides a tactile way to navigate through menus and apps.
As usual, you’ll have your physical buttons on the right side of the frame, one on top of the other, with the top and middle buttons having an orange accent.
The bottom is where you’ll see the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s various sensors for health, fitness and detection.
The New Stuff
Powered by a more powerful processor, the Watch Ultra delivers snappy performance and smooth app navigation. One of its standout features is its impressive battery life, which can easily last for multiple days on a single charge. This is particularly beneficial for those who rely on their smartwatch for extended periods without access to a charger.
Facing The Elements
Of course we have to talk about the protective qualifications of the Galaxy Watch Ultra
- 5ATM+IP68
- MIL-STD-810H
Apart from passing military standards, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is able to withstand water depths up to 1.5 meters and for long periods of time, which brings about that high IP68 rating. It’s not only water/swim proof, but also completely dustproof, so if you’re heading into a really dusty place or the desert for the matter, you can be rest assured that no foreign particles will be able to enter your watch.
Trackers and Apps
You’ll be able to install anything from the Wear OS section of the PlayStore, and there’s 32GB of storage to load up more watch faces or your fitness tracking apps. These apps are relatively lightweight, and therefore its 2GB of RAM provides plenty of memory to get those apps running.
As for the sensors, the ‘BioActive Sensor’ is here to stay, being Samsung’s answer to health and fitness. This chip packs all 3 essentional wearable sensors into 1, taking care of reading your usual Heart Rate and Blood Oxygen monitoring. The BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) monitors your blood pressure and detech Afibs (irregular heartbeat)
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is equipped with a variety of health sensors, including:
- Optical heart rate sensor: Accurately measures heart rate during various activities, including workouts and sleep.
- Blood oxygen sensor: Monitors blood oxygen saturation levels, which can be helpful for assessing overall health and detecting potential respiratory issues.
- ECG sensor: Can detect abnormal heart rhythms, such as atrial fibrillation.
- BioActive sensor: Combines heart rate, ECG, and blood oxygen sensors for comprehensive health monitoring.
- Temperature sensor: Measures skin temperature, which can be useful for tracking menstrual cycles and detecting potential illnesses.
- Stress sensor: Assesses stress levels based on heart rate variability.
- Sleep tracking: Monitors sleep stages, including REM, light, and deep sleep, to provide insights into sleep quality.
- Snore detection: Detects snoring patterns to help identify potential sleep apnea.
- Body composition analysis: Estimates body fat percentage, muscle mass, and bone mass.
These sensors work together to provide a comprehensive picture of your health and fitness, allowing you to track your progress, identify potential health issues, and make informed decisions about your lifestyle.
Early Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is a promising smartwatch that blends ruggedness, performance, and advanced features into one thick, round package. Its promised long battery life, robust design, and comprehensive health tracking capabilities make it a strong contender for those seeking a smartwatch that can keep up with their active lifestyles. While a more in-depth review is needed to assess its full capabilities, the Watch Ultra certainly shows great potential.
While we don’t (and shouldn’t) change wearables every year, the real benefits really appeal to older generations of the Galaxy Watch series, rightly the 4 and 5 series and even moreso for the Watch3.
